Crowds carrying green tote bags wandered through the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center on Saturday, getting ideas to improve their homes or holiday gifts and decorations.

This weekend was the third year of the Holiday Home-Gift Show. It continues Sunday from noon until 4 p.m.

Judy Avery, coordinator of the event sponsored by Moen and the Sun Journal, said about 1,000 people attended Friday and Saturday, but the crowds looked even larger.

Something new this year is a gift workshop upstairs at the convention center put on by Bear Hands Art Factory where children make gifts in the workshop while their parents shop and look for holiday ideas downstairs among the 90 vendors displaying their wares.

Avery said she was hoping for about 7,000 visitors this year, compared to 5,000 last year.

Tiffany Strickland of Cove City took a break from looking at all that was offered to introduce her 9-month-old son Creed to Santa Claus. Children stood in line with big smiles on their faces waiting to sit in his lap.

“He did really well,” Strickland said. “I was afraid he was going to be scared, but he was more relaxed if anything.”

This was Strickland’s first Holiday Home-Gift Show and she enjoyed it, she said.

“I just came to look around and see all the good stuff," she said. "I plan to look at the Christmas decorations to see if anything catches my eye.”

Wendy Brunk, overseeing the Phoenix Trading booth, said people were excited to see all of the holiday cards and decorations her company had on hand.

“Some say, ‘Oh, it’s so different. Oh this is so pretty,’” Brunk said. “People just love it — the quality of it and they love the price.”

Items catching people’s attention were the advent calendars, with which you can open a window each day leading up to Christmas or build a tiny house each day in a snow village display, she said.

Julian Marsh and his wife Joan, who just moved to New Bern, said they were attending their first Holiday Home-Gift Show.

“I think it is great,” he said. “There are good things here and a lot of things for the home.”

His wife agreed.

“It is mostly things for the home, but you can get some great ideas,” she said. “I liked the cosmetics and jewelry.”

“If it twinkles bright, it will catch the eye of a woman,” her husband added.

Linda Shafer of Newport attended hoping to be inspired.

“I just came to get some ideas for Christmas,” she said as she clutched her green tote bag. “I ended up getting a gift for myself. They have a lot of things I like. But I’d like to see more Christmas things. A lot of it feels like a home show.”

Page 2 of 2 - Tucked between the booths of Professional Carpet Systems and Bath Fitter, Jan Dallacqua was greeting people who were looking at Christmas decorations at Tessa’s Attic, a local business owned by Diane Druhot, who sells her products through My Favorite Things on Middle Street. Dallacqua was helping Druhot, who was away from her booth.

“A lot of these decorations are a little classier than the bright reds and greens you usually see,” Dallacqua said.

There were gold stockings and colorful wreaths and hand-made dolls, pillows, aprons, scarves and table decorations.

Avery said the Holiday Home-Gift Show used to be the fall home show, but it now includes gifts and decorations because it is so close to the holidays.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.